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Tracing wartime useage is almost impossible and your Bedford doesn't seem to have a post-war rebuild plate giving a new military registration which would let you, via the Key Card perhaps discover where it went post-war. As an early model, it may have been disposed of without any post-war service. This page on the WD Norton site gives some idea of why so little information exists. http://www.wdnorton.nl/Individual_motorcycle_history.htm

I have copies of an old article by Marcus Cotton from 'Militaria' magazine and he states that the screw type is an indicator of date (although of course it's easy to change). The 1938 Lining Securing Bolt Mk1 had a 16.25mm head and was 9.37mm long (he's metric !) this was replaced by a longer version (The Mk11) and then in 1942 by the Lining Securing Bolt Mk111 which had the small (10mm) head. There are also lists of manufacturers. JSS was Joseph Sankey & Sons (Bilston). I can't find HFF or E58 BMB is Briggs Motor Bodies (Dagenham) TTC is Teddy Toy Company (who made lots of liners) The Roman I would suggest a Mk 1 helmet. Are the markings on the rim or the strap lugs ? Photos would be great !

I've been prompted to reach for the Chamber's. They give the alternative spelling 'boscage' and suggest that it is from the same source as the Germanic 'busch' and English 'bush' It would seem that if Shepherd's Bush were to become gentrified, we could end up referring to it as 'Shepherd's Bocage'

There's a 1920s dictionary at my parents. I'll have a look to see if the word is there. (Unless someone has an older version ?)

Was it not fairly common for Infantry recruits who showed aptitude to be transferred to specialist corps after completing basic training ? Some knowledge of the dates involved would help.

I think that I know what Jack is asking and I think that he's correct in his underlying assumption. My impression is that the Normans had relatively little impact on English rural place names and the underlying basis is generally Saxon or older but even so I can't think of any suggestion of the word 'bocage' in any English names, either of settlements or landscape features. I would assume that 'bocage' entered the language of the Normandy region some time after the tyrants lost their influence in Britain and perhaps only became known in English after the second world war ? Did the French have some equivalent of the British enclosures which altered the landscape and gave rise to a new vocabulary ? The landscape of Normandy probably differs from the rest of France because they didn't see the need to plant rows of poplars to keep the sun off advancing foreign armies that far west !

There'd be no ack-ack or Don-Rs without the old alphabet. This is quite a good link. http://www.milism.net/abc.htm

I feel that I must protest at the assumption that all of us can read 'post-war' thus effectively excluding those of us with a pre-war or early wartime preference. William - Edward - London - Charlie - Orange - Monkey - Edward Toc-Toc-Freddy-Nuts

Tim, you're being far too generous with your photo captions (and I quote !) :-"http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Greatwartruck/whiteatwaihisept08009.jpg" So there's still gold turning up in Waihi ?

Ah...you mean that I should have put 'copyright' all over it ? Thus encouraged, any idea about the sheeted-over tracked vehicles in the same sequence ? and a close-up view :-

Can anyone confirm this vehicle ? The Middlesex Registration dates from Aug. 1928 - Jun. 1929. The rad looks Crossley to me but I'm not certain. The photo must date from the 1930s and shows members of the King's Royal Rifle Corps. My Dad's brother George is seated left in the second row. He had almost finished his reserve service in 1940 but ended up in Calais and spent the war in a prison camp.

This may sound odd but any slightly acidic household cleaner that states "Do not use on aluminium" or some such will help - they're just paranoid about discolouration in posh kitchens. Products like 'Mr Muscle' work well on sand-cast motorcycle engines. I prefer to use fine Scotch-brite rather than steel wool which can leave particles that rust.

Preferably with photographs !

Indian Powerplus ? The bracket above the front mudguard (fender ?) looks like the leaf-spring mount used by Indian and the chairs are the correct type. Apparently 60% of the motorcycles used by the US in Europe in 1917 - 18 were Indians.

There was one here. http://www.motorbike-search-engine.co.uk/classifieds/-216/posts/1_Motorcycles/82_Moto_Guzzi/15_Moto_Guzzi_Nuovo_Falcone_500cc_1973_Militare.html Top money though. There were loads around a few years ago. Where have they all gone ?

I own a small patch of Belgium but I did tell my Missus that if the Germans come back over the Maas with tanks, I'm not staying to defend it ! ...and in answer to Jack's question, anything with girder forks still seems to be going up in value and military motorcycles appeal to both the 'vintage' motorcycle and MV types. WD bikes are now more expensive than the 'grey porridge' of the 1950s whereas a few years ago, they were generally regarded as less practical and thus less desirable. The difficult thing is finding a good reliable 'sorted' one without loads of post-war parts and of course most bits are visible. It's no longer possible to build one cheaply from a basket case. Believe me, I know !

Some states have retrospective legislation and trying to register a vehicle privately becomes a single vehicle type-approval nightmare. Even the UK no longer accepts a change of chassis or even a motorcycle frame with retention of the registration unless the replacement is a new spare part. My view is that a military rebuild would have involved parts swapping and if the vehicle in question is not unique then there is probably little harm in being economical with the truth. I don't think that any of us would say that the Great War Dennis rebuild on the forum will be any less worthy because not all the components left the factory together.

Camouflage is an area where I might venture to suggest that the world of modelling is in some ways ahead of the owners of MVs. This site is worth a look if you haven't already :- http://www.mafva.net/other%20pages/Starmer%20camo.htm Mike Starmer's books are also an indespensible reference if you want to get it right and include colour chips mixed using modelling paints. (Thoroughly nice chap as well).

Thanks Modeller. What a great photo. The truck looks like a Bedford OY to me.

There are people on this forum who can almost certainly identify the trucks from any angle. In fact there are some who know the underside views best of all. (and we're all keen to see period photos !)

Out of curiosity, I tried 'goods yard' as a search on the Imperial War Museum photo archive and found this rather nice picture.

Considering that we have to cope with cantankerous old vehicles, I think that we're a pretty good tempered bunch actually !

Pat, Do you mean C.7372 ? 7373 was an AJS contract. Which MoS records have you been looking at ? This contract was of course placed at the point where the BEF needs were great and many bikes were taken from factory stocks or built up from available parts. The Ordnance records suggest that a total of 215 machines were supplied, made up as follows :- 150 x 500cc 65 x 350cc 87 x 500cc VH 38 x 350cc NH 63 x 500cc VG 27 x 350cc NG I can find no reference to a 'W' prefix so these should have been normal civilian spec machines, perhaps with simply (but not necessarily) a colour change. In fact, Orchard & Madden state that the Ariel factory records show supply of both single and twin-port head versions. Only a check of the engine and frame numbers of the bike in question will shed further light on whether this particular bike was a VH. Bearing in mind subsequent rebuild procedures, it is not without precedent that a VH engine was placed in a W/NG rolling chassis and then reissued with a new census number. I don't believe that any breakdowns of these rebuild numbers survive.

Mike Starmer suggests BS No. 7 Dark Blue until 1941 at which time the standard War Office Directive colours were adopted, the same point at which the RAF also changed. I have a couple of motorcycle pictures, one of which includes some Bedfords in the background. Definitely lighter than the uniform blue but is it grey or Khaki Green ?

Good to see a military vehicle with class in the American zone !